Start getting your draft boards ready, the juniors are starting to declare. The latest player into the mix is Notre Dame WR Golden Tate. With the St. Louis Rams looking for help at WR, every name that gets thrown into the draft mix is worth mentioning at least.
Is Tate a pick in the top two rounds? That remains to be seen with the combine and other offseason activities adding much to the mix for lots of players. His numbers at ND certainly speak highly of him and the connection he had with QB Jimmy Clausen, a player sure to be in consideration for the QB starved Rams. Reading the Tate story at Mocking the Draft (linked above) one comment stood out to me:
Where Tate is the most dangerous, however, is after the catch. With legs like a running back, Tate breaks his share of tackles and can make just about any defender miss in the open field.
That's something the Rams really lack with their current group of receivers, though Brandon Gibson has shown some ability to pick up yards after the catch. It's something the West Coast offensive system is predicated on too. Now, does that make Tate the best possibility for the Rams at WR? We'll see.
Another player mentioned yesterday at Mocking the Draft that caught my attention it Michigan CB Donovan Warren, who played coy about his draft status but did indicate he leaned toward coming out. Why is Warren a name for Rams fans to keep their eyes on? Because he plays much like the Rams third round pick from last season Bradley Fletcher...or Fletcher Bradley as he's known at the Post-Dispatch. Warren's game is jamming receivers and playing a physical brand of man coverage, the kind that the Rams use. Fletcher is supposedly coming back next season, but we could still use another physical corner to add to the mix. He could be a 2nd or 3rd round pick.